Sojaveña Wilds Totally Normal Bulletin Board

[Namohysip]

Mhynt glanced away at Nova's words, but nodded. It was noble and unfair, but... it would save the world.

"I don't know about his connections. Other Dungeons he's in...? You know more at this point." He grunted. "Other moves... Well, I know he loves Tri Attack. I think he likes seeing people squirm under all kinds of bodily harm. Burning, freezing..." He sighed, creating a plume of darkness as the Umbral sphere buzzed. It was very close to activating, finally.

"It's always around him lately, but he has some kind of... shadowy rain around him when he gets into battle. And... and..." Owen rubbed his forehead. "Right... and he also does a lot of twisters of darkness, pretty much all the time around him... And one final thing. I only saw him do it once on someone troublesome... it's a move that weakens someone and makes him stronger in a way that it double-hurts. I think it poisons them, too... a poison whose damage you can't heal from... Ugh, he has so many things...!"

Owen's getting really distressed now. He probably could answer at most one question, or they'd leave him to calm down. Red looked nervous.

Acquired information:
Alexander always has Shadow Sky active.
Alexander's favored Boss Action is Shadow Storm.
Alexander favors using Tri Attack and will likely spend most of his Tempo inflicting ailments from it.
Alexander has a special move that lowers a defensive stat to raise a corresponding offensive stat, such as Evasion- and Accuracy+, Defense- and Attack+, etc, and can inflict Cruel Poison.

Owen's stress levels are very high. He may not be able to take much more...

 

[Ambyssin]

"Okay. Deep breaths there." Nova wasn't sure why he instinctively crouched when Owen was bigger than him. Force of habit, he supposed. And he had pretty much dropped his personal subject to return focus to why they were really here. "How about we take a break and focus on that instead?" He pointed his beak at strange shadowy sphere. It seemed more... active than before.

 

[Weazel]

Archie’s muzzle drew into a tight frown at Nova's blase mention of his coming demise. He'd accepted that there was no way around it, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Still, this wasn't the time to re-litigate that eventuality.

In any case, Owen might nor be able to conceive of a way to beat Alex, but that didn't mean one didn't exist. It was just a matter of finding it. For now, though, Nova was probably right to switch gears and focus on something that wouldn't further agitate the Charizard.

"I take it it's more than just a pretty bauble," the Dewott said, encouragingly.

 

[Namohysip]

Owen nodded steadily. "It's ready," he said.

And then, finally, the outer layer of that strange sphere popped, scattering the many tiny dark stars to the winds. Several landed on the Wayfarers, and a few bounced off of Owen, having no effect.

A deep cold followed, something deeper than a normal chill, that sank deep into the Wayfarers' bodies. They knew what this was--they'd been told about it--but knowing and experiencing were two different things. It would take a while, perhaps overnight, for the power to properly incubate... but the deed was done. Darkness blossomed within the Wayfarers, but now that they were stronger, it wouldn't overtake them like it did Owen. Instead, perhaps it could be harnessed...

Owen's shoulders sagged. "I'm... going to go back," he said quietly. He looked exhausted, though perhaps he'd find the will to answer one more question. Red, too, looked tired, though... It would be wise to ask an easier one.

 

[Ambyssin]

Nova's fur prickled a bit from the chill. But it settled pretty quickly. Almost a bit too quickly. He wondered if the others would immediately start having to grapple with that energy. Hopefully not.

He did have a question about Alexander's smaller heads, but feared that would be too much for Owen. So, he bowed his head. "Thanks for toughing it out for us."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade had never been much of a 'do the impossible, break the unbreakable' kind of person, so the more everyone asked things of Owen, the more it was all starting to seem literally impossible. So she instead tried to focus on the things they could do. Target the corrupted dungeons. Keep a mental anchor. Support each other in battle, like they always did.

She closed her eyes as the darkness of Powehi's blessing washed over her, settling into her fur and sinking bone-deep.

"Thanks for this. We'll... try to use it well, I guess."

Nothing to do but try and fight the impossible. She didn't have a choice. None of them did.

 

[Weazel]

Archie’s first instinct was to bat the little stars away. Of course, this achieved nothing, they sank into him all the same. And he recognized the feeling they brought with him. The deep cold of ice coursing through his veins. He’d felt this way once before, when Alexander had first introduced Shadow to him and Koa in Silver Ravine all those months ago. The Dewott drew his arms close to himself, and shivered. To go through it again felt like a violation, a double dipping of corruption. How much darkness could one’s soul take?

No doubt the power for seep from them to the rest of the Wayfarers through Betel’s connection. Just like last time. “Yeah, uh… Thanks.”

He couldn’t quite force himself to mean it.

 

[Tetra]

Koa had stayed silent mostly, listening and absorbing everything he could. Already he was trying to work out battle strategies and last minute supplies he wanted to grab. Thinking about that gave him something to do that wasn't focusing on Owen or on having to face an Alex that was so much stronger than the Zweilous they encountered in the desert, who'd trapped them in the fire- before.

He tensed and cringed away as the fleck of darkness drifted toward him. You want it.Cold seeped into him, deeper and deeper until it settled over him, bringing with it a sensation of crushing, inescapable weight. Suffocating. You can't hide who you are forever, Koamaru Averon.

He shoved down the thoughts, leaning towards Archie slightly. All he had to do was get through this mission.

 

[Cresselia92]

A tiny star. It took a single, tiny spark of shadows touching Silver’s nose to jolt his body and shake the darkness within.

No amount of thick fur could protect him from the overwhelming chill that spread from the tips of his claws and feathers to the center of his soul. An uncomfortable and familiar unease flashed in his widened eyes and deafened his speeding up heartbeat, while phantoms of that horrible hellscape shackled his spirit.

Exhausted. No Escape Orb. No way out of the Voidlands.

He, alone, with all those nightmarish demons. Ready to pounce on him; to drag him into the void; to turn him into one of them.

Another mindless pawn of a dark and cursed legion. Another expendable addition, just like a grunt of Team R—

‘…No. Stop. Don’t think about that.’

Silver chided his mind with a shake of his head and hissed spitefully at those memories. Breathe in, breathe out.

‘I’m… here. I’m here, under the sunlight, I’m okay, I’m free… from both…’ He nodded to himself when he felt his heart slowing down, the mental storm now a calmer breeze. ‘I’m okay.’

Not wanting to think about what other nightmare was surely waiting for them, Silver preferred to focus his attention elsewhere. He stared at Owen.

“Well, hm, thanks. I—no, we appreciate your cooperation and all the information you’ve given us about Alexander. That’s gonna be very useful when we’ll confront him.” Then, his eyes lit up with a fierce determination, and he pumped a fist. “Also! We’re so gonna kick his stupid and floaty butt for you, too! Just you wait!”

 

[Namohysip]

"Good luck," Owen said. He made eye contact with Mhynt just once, and for a moment, he seemed tempted to say something. Mhynt, too, stared for a while. "I'm ready," he said to Red.

"...Hang on for us," Mhynt said. "Once Alexander's gone... The first thing I'm going to do is see you. Understand?"

Owen's fist clenched. His thoughts remained unknown. With a nod, he waited for Red to withdraw him, and then he was gone.

The Wayfarers had their mission. And hopefully, soon, they could be done with one nightmare plaguing Forlas once and for all.

<><><>​